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Heat stroke
Heat stroke, also known as sun stroke, is a type of severe that results in a greater than and . Other symptoms include red, dry or damp skin, headache, and dizziness. Onset can be sudden or gradual. Complications may include , , or . Heat stroke occurs because of high external temperatures or . Risk factors include , high , certain drugs such as , , or , heart disease, and skin disorders. Cases not associated with physical exertion typically occur in those at the extremes of age or with long term health problems. Diagnosis is based on symptoms. It is a type of . It is distinct from a , where there is a increase in the temperature . Preventive measures include drinking sufficient fluids and avoiding excessive heat. Treatment is by rapid physical cooling of the body and . Recommended methods include spraying the person with water and using a fan, putting the person in ice water, or giving cold . While it is reasonable to add around a person, this by itself is not routinely recommended. It results in more than 600 deaths a year in the United States. Rates have increased between 1995 and 2015. The risk of death is less than 5% in those with exercise-induced heat stroke and as high as 65% in those with non-exercise induced cases. Signs and symptoms Heat stroke generally presents with a hyperthermia of greater than in combination with disorientation and a lack of . Before a heat stroke occurs, people show signs of such as dizziness, mental confusion, headaches, and weakness; if a heat stroke occurs when the person is asleep, symptoms may be harder to notice. However, in exertional heat stroke, the affected person may sweat excessively. Young children, in particular, may have . Eventually, , , and death will result. Causes Biological Heat stroke occurs when thermoregulation is overwhelmed by a combination of excessive metabolic production of heat (exertion), excessive environmental heat, and insufficient or impaired heat loss, resulting in an abnormally high body temperature. Substances that inhibit cooling and cause dehydration such as , , , and physiological changes predispose to so-called "classic" or non-exertional heat stroke (NEHS), most often in elderly and infirm individuals in summer situations with insufficient ventilation. Exertional heat stroke (EHS) can happen in young people without health problems or medications most often in s, outdoor s, or engaged in or in s wearing heavy . In environments that are not only hot but also humid, it is important to recognize that reduces the degree to which the body can cool itself by perspiration and evaporation. For humans and other animals, excessive body temperature can disrupt enzymes regulating biochemical reactions that are essential for cellular respiration and the functioning of major organs. Cars When the outside temperature is , the temperature inside a car parked in direct sunlight can quickly exceed . Young children or elderly adults left alone in a vehicle are at particular risk of succumbing to heat stroke. "Heat stroke in children and in the elderly can occur within minutes, even if a car window is opened slightly." As these groups of individuals may not be able to open car doors or to express discomfort verbally (or audibly, inside a closed car), their plight may not be immediately noticed by others in the vicinity. In 2018 51 children in the United States died in hot cars, more than the previous high of 49 in 2010. Dogs are even more susceptible than humans to heat stroke in cars, as dogs cannot produce whole-body sweat to cool themselves. Leaving the dog at home with plenty of water on hot days is recommended instead, or, if a dog must be brought along, it can be in the shade outside the destination and provided with a full water bowl. Prevention The risk of heat stroke can be reduced by observing precautions to avoid overheating and dehydration. Light, loose-fitting clothes will allow perspiration to evaporate and cool the body. Wide-brimmed hats in light colors help prevent the sun from warming the head and neck. Vents on a hat will help cool the head, as will sweatbands wetted with cool water. Strenuous exercise should be avoided during hot weather, especially in the sun peak hours as well as avoiding s (such as automobiles) without or adequate . In hot weather, people need to drink plenty of cool liquids and s to replace fluids lost from . is not a reliable sign that a person needs fluids. A better indicator is the color of . A dark yellow color may indicate dehydration. The in the United States publishes a QuickCard with a checklist designed to help protect workers from heat stress: * Know signs/symptoms of heat-related illnesses. * Block out direct sun and other heat sources. * Drink fluids often, and before you are thirsty. * Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothes. * Avoid beverages containing alcohol or caffeine. Treatment Treatment of heat stroke involves rapid mechanical cooling along with standard resuscitation measures. The body temperature must be lowered quickly. The person should be moved to a cool area (indoors, or at least in the shade) and clothing removed to promote heat loss (passive cooling). Active cooling methods should also be used, if possible: The person is bathed in cold water, or a hyperthermia vest can be applied. (However, wrapping the person in wet towels or clothes can actually act as insulation and increase the body temperature.) Cold compresses to the , head, neck, and will help cool the victim. A fan or dehumidifying air-conditioning unit may be used to aid in evaporation of the water (evaporative method). Immersing a person into a tub of cold water (immersion method) is a widely recognized method of cooling. This method may require the effort of several people and the person should be monitored carefully during the treatment process. Immersion should be avoided for an unconscious person, but if there is no alternative, the person's head must be held above water. Immersion in very cold water was once thought to be counterproductive by reducing blood flow to the skin and thereby preventing heat from escaping the body core. However, this hypothesis has been challenged in experimental studies, as well as by systematic reviews of the clinical data, indicating that cutaneous and do not play a dominant role in the decrease in core body temperature brought on by cold water immersion. This can be seen in the effect of submersion , where the body temperature decrease is directly related to environmental temperature, and though slow the decrease in temperature for a time, they ultimately fail to maintain endothermic homeostasis. , a direct-acting paralytic which abolishes shuddering and is effective in many other forms of hyperthermia, including , and thermogenesis, has no individual or additive effects to cooling in the context of heat stroke, showing a lack of endogenous thermogenic response to cold water immersion. Thus, aggressive ice-water immersion remains the for life-threatening heat stroke. Hydration is important in cooling the person. In mild cases of concomitant dehydration, this can be achieved by drinking water, or commercial isotonic s may be used as a substitute. In exercise- or heat-induced dehydration, can result, and can be worsened by . can be corrected by intake of fluids. Absorption is rapid and complete in most people but if the person is confused, unconscious, or unable to tolerate oral fluid, then an may be necessary for rehydration and electrolyte replacement. The person's condition should be reassessed and stabilized by . The person's heart rate and breathing should be monitored, and may be necessary if the person goes into . Prognosis It was long believed that heat strokes lead only rarely to permanent deficits and that is almost complete. However, following the , researchers from the studied all 58 patients with heat stroke severe enough to require intensive care at 12 area hospitals between July 12 and 20, 1995, ranging in age from 25 to 95 years. Nearly half of these patients died within a year 21 percent before and 28 percent after release from the hospital. Many of the survivors had permanent loss of independent function; one-third had severe functional impairment at discharge, and none of them had improved after one year. The study also recognized that because of overcrowded conditions in all the participating hospitals during the crisis, the immediate care which is critical was not as comprehensive as it should have been. Epidemiology In , hundreds die every year from summer heat waves, including . Later that same summer, the caused about 2,000 deaths. Other animals Heatstroke can affect livestock, especially in hot, humid weather; or if the horse, cow, sheep or other is unfit, overweight, has a dense coat, is overworked, or is left in a horsebox in full sun. Symptoms include drooling, panting, high temperature, sweating, and rapid pulse. The animal should be moved to shade, drenched in cold water and offered water or electrolyte to drink. References Category:Safety